This excerpt from Bob Coen and Eric Nadler’s film Shadow War of the Sahara, originally broadcast on the Franco-German channel ARTE, charts the rise of the US military’s AFRICA COMAND (AFRICOM). The video reveals why AFRICOM’s chief critic, Libya’s Mohammar Gaddafi, had to be removed from power for the project to succeed.

Libya is sliding back into chaos. The escalating violence prompted the U.S. to evacuate its embassy, and European countries are urging their citizens to flee. We hate to say it, but it looks like deja vu all over again for another failed military intervention by the West. If you want to understand what motives are in play now, read on for a look back at the real reasons behind Qaddafi’s overthrow.

WhoWhatWhy’s Russ Baker talks with Stocks and Jocks radio’s Kevin Riordan and Kathy Dervin about how the brewing Iraq crisis should be no surprise to anyone—least of all the government. Tune in to the wide-ranging interview to hear Russ go deep on topics like the JFK assassination, the Boston Marathon Bombing, and the pattern that ties all American wars together

The noisy fight over Secretary of State John Kerry’s testimony about the Benghazi attack tells us the one thing we know about the 2012 attack that killed U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stephens and three others: we’re no closer to the truth. And that’s not likely to change, even with a fifth Congressional probe on the way.

The debate over who was responsible for the attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, rages on. But the partisan noise appears to be obscuring a much more interesting possibility. Not to mention more troubling.

The United States and its allies have been so eager to remove the Assad regime in Syria that they’ve enabled some extreme elements to move into the void. Could the Western strategy in Syria result in the displacement of a secular regime with elements of Al Qaeda?

America and its allies appear about to launch a war against Syria. The justification is that the regime of Bashar al-Assad is using chemical weapons against the Syrian people. But a closer look raises doubts about whether Assad is using the weapons, whether the US-backed opposition is using them—or some combination. This is a timely must-read.

Russ Baker sits down for a chat with Danny Schechter, former mainstream news producer turned media activist extraordinaire. Topics: The stories the mainstream media are not telling—or not telling properly.

Trying to understand the story of the Algerian hostage crisis? French (and soon US) intervention in neighboring Mali creeping onto your radar? A trip through some baffling landscape reveals some familiar landmarks.

WHO’s Russ Baker on Obama’s statements about the inflammatory anti-Islam video, the death of the US ambassador, freedom of speech, and more. (Comments cut short by technical difficulties, but you get a bit…)

As pressure grows for military intervention in Syria, we are now hearing that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad is behind alleged widespread rape in his country. Didn’t we hear the same thing about Muammar Qaddafi, followed by mounting Western calls for his ouster? As before, when you read the fine print, it gets more complicated.